Pipeline Safety: Accident and Incident Notification

Date

Sept. 21, 2017

Purpose

This Minnesota Office of Pipeline Safety (OPS) Alert Notice informs pipeline operators about a final rule issued by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA). The rule specifies a timeframe for initial notification of accidents and incidents including a requirement for notice follow-up or revision, and expands on changes to pipeline systems requiring notification to the National Registry of Pipeline and LNG operators.

This Alert Notice does not change the OPS Reportable Event Policy required for intrastate pipeline and LNG operators. 

Effective Date 

This final rule is effective March 24, 2017.

Applicable Codes

1. 49 CFR §191.3 — Definitions [revised].
2. 49 CFR §191.5 — Immediate notice of certain incidents [revised].
3. 49 CFR §191.22 — National Registry of Pipeline and LNG operators [revised].
4. 49 CFR §195.2 — Definitions [revised].
5. 49 CFR §195.5 — Conversion to service subject to this part [revised].
6. 49 CFR §195.52 — Immediate notice of certain accidents [revised].
7. 49 CFR §195.64 — National Registry of Pipeline and LNG operators [revised].

Scope

This Alert Notice applies to all Minnesota pipeline operators subject to 49 CFR Parts 191 and 195. This document only summarizes the regulatory rule change and is not intended to substitute for the completeness provided by the final rule published in the Federal Register.

Rule Requirements

There are three primary changes to Parts 191 and 195:

1. Initial notice to the National Response Center must now be made within one hour of confirmed discovery. Confirmed discovery is defined in §191.3 and §195.3 as “when it can be reasonably determined, based on information available to the operator at the time a reportable event has occurred, even if only based on a preliminary evaluation.”
2. The initial notice must be revised or confirmed within 48 hours of confirmed discovery. 
3. Changes to pipeline systems requiring notice to the National Registry of Pipeline and LNG operators have been expanded under §191.22(c) and §195.64(c). These include the addition of:
   1. Construction of 10 or more miles of replacement pipe.
   2. Product flow reversals of more than 30 days in pipeline systems not designed for bi-directional flow.
   3. A pipeline converted for service under §192.14 or §195.5, or a change in commodity as reported on the annual report under §191.17 or §195.49.

The complete Federal Register publication of the Final Rule can be viewed online.

Operators shall ensure that manuals are revised as necessary, and reports are completed as required. OPS will be incorporating this regulatory change into its inspections.

Please contact our office if you have any questions regarding this final rule.